Degenerative arthritis occurs not because an inflammation occurs in joints, but because the bones directly touch each other as the cartilage is worn out due to aging or as a result of being over active. Degenerative arthritis in the hands can be aesthetically displeasing because the finger joints become thicker and the bones protrude, despite not affecting the patient's daily routine. However, degenerative arthritis in the knee joints, which support the body weight, can easily occur and cause an inconvenience in routine activities.

Initially, the symptoms of degenerative arthritis are not serious so, if a patient takes regular rest, the pain recedes. However, in time, the patient feels constant pain, so joint motion becomes difficult. Additionally, bones generate friction, causing the pain to become severe. In addition, inflammation occurs and the joints end up being deformed as the cartilage is gradually worn out as the degenerative arthritis advances. Degenerative arthritis most commonly occurs in the knee joints, especially for women in their 50s, and the symptoms of the disease become more severe as the patient reaches their 60s or 70s. In very serious cases, the cartilage is totally damaged. The cartilage and both ends of the bones completely protrude or osteophytes (bony spurs) sometimes develop. It is very difficult for doctors with limited experience with bony spurs to treat them. The professional medical teams of Nanoori Hospital can successfully perform an operation to remove bony spurs through arthroscopic surgery.

Rheumatoid arthritis does not have obvious causes and has a variety of symptoms, and it is difficult to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis because the disease infiltrates various joints. Normally a patient is diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis if they have satisfied at least four of the following seven criteria, and if the symptoms have been present for at least six weeks, according to the diagnosis standard adopted by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in 1978.

1) Stiffness in the morning in and around the joints lasting at least one hour before maximal improvement

2) A minmum of three joint areas simultaneously suffer from soft tissue swelling

3) At least one area has swelling in a wrist joint, metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP), or proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP)

4) Symmetric arthritis

5) Subcutaneous nodules, over bony prominence, or extensor surfaces, or in juxtaarticular regions, have been observed by a physician

6) Serum rheumatoid factors have been identified

7) Radiographs of the posteroanterior hand and wrist show bone erosions or obvious decalcification near the affected joints.

In Nanoori Hospital, a simple blood test is used to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis.

No matter why rheumatoid arthritis develops, white blood cells gather in a joint as inflammation occurs in synovium in a joint, causing pain in the region as the joint is swollen due to the increase of joint fluid. If the inflammation lasts, inflammatory synovium tissues continuously grow and penetrate into bones and cartilage. As a result, the joint is deformed and the patient will have difficulty in moving the joint.

Rheumatoid arthritis typically occurs in the joints of the fingers, wrists and toes, and it spreads out into the joints of the elbows, shoulders, ankles and knees as the disease worsens. Symptoms such as pain, stiffness, swelling (swelling caused by an inflammation or tumor) slowly appear in the joints for several weeks. Even if rheumatoid arthritis is treated, there is a chance that the disease will be transferred to other parts of the body.

Gout is mostly developed in adult men over 40 years old, but it has recently occurred in Koreans in their 20s and 30s, partially as a result of the Korean diet becoming more westernized. It is important for a gout sufferer to take care of their entire body, because they suffer pain from the arthritis. In addition to disorders in the kidneys and blood vessels, the brain and heart can be affected, along with other symptoms.

The pain caused by acute gout has been observed to be very severe. Additionally, acute gout develops so rapidly that the affected part of the body can become swollen over night. About 90% of cases occur in one joint, particularly in the first toe joint. Gouty arthritis rarely appears in the joints of elbows, knees and fingers. Chronic gout also causes dull pain for a an extended period of time.

Gout is strongly tied to to other diseases, such as obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, diabetes and the like. High uric acid levels in the blood are a precursor of gout.

These injuries are caused mostly by exercise among young people, unlike degenerative arthritis.

Anterior cruciate ligament injury is mostly caused by non-contact injuries such as twisting, deceleration and hyperextension, while there are some cases where the injury is caused by contact injuries by valgus. When the symptoms appear behind the knees, it is called posterior cruciate ligament injury, and the contact injury has the characteristic that it also damages many other structures, especially meniscus.

1) Structures in the knee suffer sudden and extreme tearing

2) Discomort in the knee

3) Feeling that the knee is torn apart indicates a high likelihood of the condition.

An MRI combined with a physical examination is the most accurate examination to diagnose an anterior cruciate ligament injury. When an anterior cruciate ligament is damaged, it is essential to get an accurate examination, because the injury can be accompanied by a collateral ligament injury, meniscus injury and posterior cruciate ligament injury.

Nanoori Hospital treats these injuries caused by exercises with specialized arthroscopic surgery and systematic rehabilitation programs.

There is a tendon called the rotator cuff in the shoulders, which is formed by four muscles combined together, covering the shoulder blades. The muscle plays a role in controlling the movements, such as rotation of the shoulders. Rotator cuff injury is the general term for all diseases developed by injuries of rotator cuff because of blood circulation disorder or external pressure. The main cause of rotator cuff injury is extreme sports activities, excessive use of shoulders, or repetitive motions. Impingement syndrome refers to a condition in which pain is caused or rotator cuff is damaged, as a ligament called supraspinatus among rotator cuff collides with acromial process of scapula. All the treatment for impingement syndrome is carried out by ligament reinforcement injection therapy or arthroscopic surgery.

Frozen shoulder has been labeled in Korea as ¡°People in Their 50s' Shoulder¡±, because the disease commonly occurs in people in their 50s. However, it is not hard to find young patients in their 30s to 40s with frozen shoulders. The symptoms of frozen shoulder include severe pain and difficulty in moving the shoulders. One of the characteristics of the disease is that pain starts from the shoulder and spreads through the arms and hands.

Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder refers to a condition in which a stone is formed in the ligaments connected to the shoulders, and the main cause of the disease has not yet been identified. It is known that calcium is deposited in the region of the ligaments due to a problem in the process of discharging calcium from the body. One of the characteristics of the condition is that the pain caused by the disease is more severe than other shoulder diseases.

Plantar fascia refers to a membrane that spreads out across the entire sole of the foot and absorbs shock, which is delivered to the sole when you run or walk. If you run or walk excessively, plantar fascia can become infected, the sole swells and pain occurs in the area where the sole and bones meet. If you feel pain in the soles when you walk or run, especially when you take the first step after having slept, there is a chance that you have the condition. Plantar fasciitis can occur easily when a patient excessively uses the soles of the feet or rapidly gains too much weight, because the soles have to support the excessive weight.

Ankle joint arthritis is caused by injuries and degenerative conditions. The symptom of the disease is that the ankle joints swell up or are deformed, and there is difficulty in walking due to the severe pain which occurs. If a patient does not get appropriate treatment after they get fractures, sprains or injuries, or if the joints continuously get pressured by severe labor, the arthritis can occur easily. The treatment can be carried out with medication and arthroscopic surgery, and recently artificial joint surgery can be performed on ankle joints.

Gouty arthritis is developed when uric acid, which is a product of purine metabolism, forms a crystal in the joints and causes an inflammation because of a disorder of the purine metabolism with protein. Normally, patients with gouty arthritis are awakened in the early morning by pain in the joints, and the region of the joints affected by gout turns red and swells up and has severe pain. Gouty arthritis normally occurs in the big toe. The treatment for the disease is normally done with medication.

Ankle ligament injury can frequently occur when you jump and land on the ground during a basketball game or a volleyball game, or if you lose your footing when you walk down stairs. In particular, it can easily occur as a result of obesity, or wear ill-fitting shoes, or your feet are deformed. It is not easy for ordinary people to distinguish between ankle ligament injury and arthritis. If you feel pain in the joints without knowing the cause, even after receiving treatment for an injury, you re strongly advised to visit a specialized hospital for an accurate diagnosis.

Hallux valgus refers to a condition in which the region of the big toe is deformed and sticks out like a lump. There is a high chance that the main cause of the disease is genetic, but the condition can also develop when you often wear shoes with high heels and have bad living habits. Nanoori Hospital performs surgery to make the projecting bones of the toe return to the correct position and remedial treatment to straighten out the ligament and muscles around the toe.

The diseases named after popular sports, such as tennis and golf, are caused by injuries often received during sports activities. Tennis elbow refers to a condition in which the outside of the elbow is injured by lateral epicondylitis. Meanwhile, golf elbow refers to a condition in which the inside of the elbow is injured. The formal name for golf elbow is medial epicondylitis.

If you feel pain when you swing your arms or hold things up, it may be tennis elbow. Tennis elbow causes pain because the area where the bones and tendons meet has an inflammation.

Compared to degenerative arthritis in knee joints, degenerative arthritis does not often occur in elbow joints. Arthritis can develop in ankle joints because of injuries, or most cases of arthritis in ankle joints are rheumatoid arthritis. If you continuously feel pain and have difficulty doing normal activities, the condition can be treated by removing the osteophytes (bone spurs) that are protruding from the joint, or by replacing the elbow joint with an artificial joint if the symptom is severe.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome refers to a condition in which the nerves connecting the arms to the hands are chronically pressed in the carpal tunnel. One of the common misconceptions is that it is a circulation disorder when the hands are numb. However, the most common reason for numb hands is a disorder in the peripheral nerves, especially carpal tunnel syndrome. In particular, if you cannot have a deep sleep at night because your hands are numb, there is a chance that you have the syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome makes your hands numb and also causes pain. Patients with this syndrome often drop things by mistake or have difficulty in using a spoon or chopsticks because of a disorder in the motor function of the thumbs. In particular, there is a tendency for the symptoms to worsen at night, so a patient with this syndrome often fails to get a deep sleep. The symptoms can temporarily improve if the patient shakes their hands. Some patients also complain that their hands become numb while they are driving.

The Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the wrists by withstanding the pressure to the wrist joints with the cartilage between the wrist joints. The condition of the triangular fibrocartilage complex is that the cartilage between the wrist joints is injured by the repetitive use of the wrists and injuries from sports activities, resulting in pain. The disease is diagnosed by ultrasonography and the treatment is performed by treating the inflammation in the wrist and performing arthroscopic surgery.